Last night’s most heartbreaking moment on The Voice came with the elimination of talented Nashville high school student Joe Kirk. Kirk faced fellow Team Adam (Adam Levine) member Alessandra Castronovo during the Battle Rounds, and their inspired performance of Rihanna’s “Stay” was the evening’s show stopper.
“What Joe Kirk just did, that may be one of the most perfect vocals I have ever heard,” said Blake Shelton after the performance, which nearly brought fellow judge Gwen Stefani to tears.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“Joe, I think that you have a career, for sure,” said Pharell. “Just your whole approach, I just found so much originality in it.”
Though Levine described Kirk as a “hard worker and a very talented kid,” he went with Castronovo (whom Pharell praised for her diva-like presence on stage). The choice left Kirk in an emotional state, and he was quickly comforted backstage by Pharell.
Both Castronovo and Kirk gave class-A performances during their battle, and the onus really shouldn’t go to Levine’s decision, but on the other coaches. Having nurtured young talent such as season four winner Danielle Bradbery and season six finalist Jake Worthington, Blake Shelton would have been the perfect coach to steal Kirk on his team. Pharell and Gwen Stefani should have also gone for the steal, but maybe we’ll give them a pass since their newbies (Pharell, along with Christina Aguilera, are coming back for the next cycle, reports Hitfix).
The good news is Kirk is undeterred by the elimination and will continue to pursue a music career (his older brothers perform as a country duo), His determination is conveyed by his recent Vine posting:
I had Joe Kirk making it deep into the competition, and his pairing with Castronovo was one of this season’s highlights. If you haven’t seen their Battle Round performance of “Stay,” check out the video below.
http://youtu.be/600u9W67iKI
Did Adam Levine make the right choice, or was Castronovo the clear winner of the battle round? Did the other coaches miss a great opportunity by not stealing and placing Joe Kirk on their team? Please comment below and tell me what you think – Joe Kirk’s early exit was a total shocker to me, but maybe I’m in the minority.
The Voice airs on Mondays and Tuesdays (NBC, 8 pm et/pt).
